Oh, I am such a pushover when it comes to the Classics Club Spin! If you're not familiar with it, participants in the Classics Club post a list of 20 books from their to-read list. Next Monday, a random number will be assigned which determines the reading choice. The blogger then reads and posts about that book on October 6. Last time I utterly failed -- I gave up on reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame in favor of joining a Moby-Dick readalong. This time I'm going to try harder -- I've enjoyed nearly all of my Spin selections so far and it really does inspire me to cross those books off my TBR list!
I've read more than 40 of the 75 books on my original list. I'm trying to weigh the list mostly with books from my own shelves. Here are my 20:
Five Books I Keep Putting Off:
1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
2. Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
3. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather
4. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
5. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Five Books I Really Want To Read:
6. Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton
7. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
8. The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West
9. Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope
10. Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
Five Really Long Books:
11. No Name by Wilkie Collins
12. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
13. A Dance to the Music of Time (First Movement) by Anthony Powell
14. Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
15. New Grub Street by George Gissing
Five Books I'll Have to Check Out From the Library:
16. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
17. One of Ours by Willa Cather
18. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
19. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
20. The Four Feathers by A. E. W. Mason
So, next Monday I'll find out what the Classics Spin has selected for my next read. Bloggers, which do you recommend from my list? And what's going on your Classics Spin list??
Updated: The Classics Spin Number was 17. So I'll be reading One of Ours by Willa Cather. I'm very happy about the selection!!
I'm a pushover for the spin too!
ReplyDeleteHope you get a book you are excited to start :)
I love the Spin! I've liked nearly every book so far!
DeleteThis is my first time participating in the spin, but I can definitely see the appeal of it! I hope you like the selection you get :)
ReplyDeleteIt's really fun -- it inspires me to read books I've been putting off. So far I've really liked all my spin choices, so I always look forward to it.
DeleteI hope the spin lands on I Claudius. It is really a fascinating read. I think you will enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get I, Claudius, but I've committed to reading it for my TBR Pile Challenge 2014. I'll get to it before the year is over!
DeleteThat's a great list. I loved both Can You Forgive Her? and No Name. I, Claudius is on my Classics Club list but I didn't include it in the spin, so I'll be interested to hear what you think if you get that one.
ReplyDeleteI've been putting off Can You Forgive Her? because I wanted to read some stand-alone Trollopes before I get sucked into the Pallisers series. I loved the Barchester Chronicles so I'm sure I'll love it. I am going to read I, Claudius sometime this year, I swear!
DeleteI'm also a spinaholic!
ReplyDeleteI spun No Name last time and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'd love to read the Powell series one day...oh to have more reading time (& not ignore my family completely!!!)
I only put the first one of the Powell series on my Classics Club challenge. They're really not that long, the print is large and the margins are HUGE. I'm sure I could read the whole series in a year or less.
DeleteI loved The Woman in White but it did seem rather wordy.
This spin gets me every time, too - good luck on Monday! I finally added Trollope to my list this time around.
ReplyDeleteI just love Trollope! I recently finished Rachel Ray and it was mostly delightful --- I still have about 20 unread Trollopes, bless him for writing so many books!
DeleteI wasn't familiar with the Classics Club or the spin. What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's really fun, it always inspires me to try books that I keep putting off. I read Lady Chatterley's Lover last year and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. I thought it would be just awful and I really liked it.
DeleteThe one time I participated I promptly didn't read the one I was supposed to.
ReplyDeleteEven though I haven't read all of them on your list, I can guarantee that Shadows on the Rock is the most enjoyable book of the 20. Even in the world of Willa Cather, you will find Shadow on the Rocks the most enjoyable of her wonderful books.
I did get Willa Cather, but it's One of Ours, not Shadows on the Rock! I do want to read it, but my edition is from 1931, so I think that's why I keep putting it off. I'm going to get a library copy so I won't worry about hurting it.
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The Collins, Trollope, Hardy and Larkrise are all on my to read list too. I loved Phineas Finn so now I want to go back and read the Pallisers from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll really enjoy One of Ours, I did anyway.
ReplyDelete